Absorbent articles such as a sanitary napkin, a disposable diaper and the like have been conventionally used. Also, a pet pad, which is a type of such absorbent articles, is commonly used.
In such an absorbent article, a liquid-permeable top sheet is provided at a part which comes into contact with wearer's skin. In recent years, a top sheet having a high liquid drainage has been demanded in terms of reducing stickiness on skin, and bulky nonwoven fabric is suitable for its material.
The foregoing nonwoven fabric is manufactured into a band-like shape in a suitable method such as carding, and subsequently, the nonwoven fabric is wound in rolls and is stored in the form of a web. At the time of use, the web of nonwoven-fabric is brought into the manufacturing line for the absorbent article, and nonwoven fabric is fed out from the web to be used as a material of the top sheet.
On the other hand, when nonwoven fabric is wound in the form of web, the nonwoven fabric on which tension in the winding direction is exerted is being wound, the tension being for preventing the nonwoven fabric from meandering. Accordingly, the nonwoven fabric is usually wound tightly due to the tension. That is, the nonwoven fabric is compressed in the thickness direction, and the bulkiness decreases. In the manufacturing line for the absorbent article, the nonwoven fabric having a low bulkiness is fed out and supplied from the web thereof. That is, such a nonwoven fabric cannot satisfy the foregoing bulkiness demand.
In order to solve this problem, the Patent Literature 1 discloses a bulkiness recovery apparatus which is provided upstream in the manufacturing line for the absorbent article. Specifically speaking, the nonwoven fabric fed out from the web is conveyed in a predetermined conveying path, and the bulkiness recovery apparatus is provided at a predetermined position in the conveying path. Then, the apparatus heats nonwoven fabric whish passing therein by blowing hot air to nonwoven fabric, and thus recovers the bulkiness of the nonwoven fabric. Then, the nonwoven fabric whose bulkiness has recovered is not wound, and is fed out by the apparatus to the next processing apparatus in the manufacturing line.